Finding Spirit in the Modern World

• Glastonbury Abbey seeks preservation funds

Have you ever visited the famous ruins of Glastonbury Abbey – or are you saving your nickels and dimes in order to do so? If so, recent news from the Abbey trustees should be of interest.

Abbey director and curator Janet Bell announced that the trustees need to raise 500,000 pounds (just over $790, 000 US dollars at the current exchange rate) for preservation work on the North Wall, the Lady Chapel, and the Abbot’s Kitchen.

Left to right: the Lady Chapel, the Nave, and the Choir. Photo copyright: Jusben, Morguefile.com

Glastonbury Abbey is the ruins of the medieval monastery that claimed to find the remains of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in the 12th century. Also, the Abbey rests near the Tor, which some consider to have been the Isle of Avalon (including some of us that follow the modern Avalonian, Grail, and Arthurian traditions). The Tor and other nearby locations have historical and spiritual meaning for Pagans and Christians alike. The Abbey and its surrounding landscape is replete with far-reaching myth and folklore.

Aside from historical, mythical, and spiritual reasons behind the project, Philip Welch, editor of the Mid-Somerset Series, says the area needs to sustain tourism at the Abbey since other industries in the area are struggling.

A web site has been set up for the fundraising effort, Rescue Our Ruins, and visitors to the site can learn the specific reasons the funds are needed. On June 1, visitors can visit the Abbey for free in honor of the official launching of the Rescue our Ruins Appeal.

Perhaps making a donation to this fund would be a good charitable act for individual or groups of Avalonians, particularly those who have admired the awe and mystery of the Abbey in person – or who wish to in the future.